Blood, Sweat and Gear: The human cost of the Olympics

Will London's Olympic legacy be sportswear sweatshops and the marginalisation of local communities?
Saturday (24 March): A day of discussion and action on how we can stop the Olympic dream becoming a nightmare

March 20, 2012
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2 min read

The charity War on Want will stage a major conference on Saturday (24 March), entitled Blood, Sweat and Gear, about the human cost behind the Olympics. The event comes soon after its new report which showed Bangladeshi workers facing poverty wages, marathon hours and abuse, making clothes for the official Games sportswear partner Adidas, as well as Nike and Puma. The conference will feature workshops on building solidarity and better links with Bangladeshi garment workers, taking the fight to the sportswear companies, and the impact of global sporting events on local people.

Among the speakers will be Amirul Haque Amin, president of the charity’s partner, the National Garment Workers’ Federation, Arifa Akter, its assistant general secretary and ex-H&M sweatshop worker, and Sharon Sukhram, who coordinates the TUC campaign Playfair 2012. Others will include Mzonke Poni, chairperson and founder of Abahlali baseMjondolo Western Cape, who will describe the fight against evictions over the 2010 South African World Cup, former War on Want vice-chair Niaz Alam, chief operating officer at the organisation UK Sustainable Investment and Finance, and Tower Hamlets councillor Rania Khan.

Blood, Sweat and Gear will take place from 10.30 am to 5.00 pm at Toynbee Hall, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LS Admission is free, but with limited space, places must be reserved at www.waronwant.org

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